Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
The consequence of a child
The mild months of worthwhile
No mess? you better decide
With grace but not by design
She smokes like guns to the world
Will catch your moderate slur
And sing your modern love song
But wish you died anyway
Now gone I'm gonna get you for that
Get you more like a chance
Some more of a guts to the wall
The guts that cut through your lungs
Every breath takes a sound
You're deciding on them all
I felt like I would learn to fly the pattern you were aiming for
You feel like time is not all necessary, but my mind would
I come around so much less without you, without you
I can't breathe
The consequence of a child
The mild months of worthwhile
No mess? you better decide
With grace but not by design
She smokes like guns to the world
Will catch your moderate slur
And sing your modern love song
But wish you died anyway
Now gone I'm gonna get you for that
Get you more like a chance
Some more of a guts to the wall
The guts that cut through your lungs
Every breath takes a sound
You're deciding on them all
I felt like I would learn to fly the pattern you were aiming for
You feel like time is not all necessary, but my mind would
I come around so much less without you, without you
I can't breathe
I can only think that you would be unhappy for me after all the silly shit we've been through
I can only hope that life would be so lax and so free when the mornings catch you more than before
I would only hope that everything would come back to you just to say you wanted me too
I would be the one to let you catch up and go through, go through
I felt like I would learn to fly the pattern you were aiming for
You feel like time is not all necessary, but my mind would
I come around so much less without you, without you
I can't breathe
The mild months of worthwhile
No mess? you better decide
With grace but not by design
She smokes like guns to the world
Will catch your moderate slur
And sing your modern love song
But wish you died anyway
Now gone I'm gonna get you for that
Get you more like a chance
Some more of a guts to the wall
The guts that cut through your lungs
Every breath takes a sound
You're deciding on them all
I felt like I would learn to fly the pattern you were aiming for
You feel like time is not all necessary, but my mind would
I come around so much less without you, without you
I can't breathe
The consequence of a child
The mild months of worthwhile
No mess? you better decide
With grace but not by design
She smokes like guns to the world
Will catch your moderate slur
And sing your modern love song
But wish you died anyway
Now gone I'm gonna get you for that
Get you more like a chance
Some more of a guts to the wall
The guts that cut through your lungs
Every breath takes a sound
You're deciding on them all
I felt like I would learn to fly the pattern you were aiming for
You feel like time is not all necessary, but my mind would
I come around so much less without you, without you
I can't breathe
I can only think that you would be unhappy for me after all the silly shit we've been through
I can only hope that life would be so lax and so free when the mornings catch you more than before
I would only hope that everything would come back to you just to say you wanted me too
I would be the one to let you catch up and go through, go through
I felt like I would learn to fly the pattern you were aiming for
You feel like time is not all necessary, but my mind would
I come around so much less without you, without you
I can't breathe
Lyrics submitted by fedorov1fan
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ah, i love the way he says breathe in the chorus.